Page 33 of Dragon's Flame
Something vast. Moving.
Somewhere out beyond the horizon, past the heavy mist clinging to the coast, she felt him. Not his body, not his thoughts—justhim. Like a shadow cast against her soul.
Kenna’s eyes snapped open, her pulse thudding, and saw a dark speck speeding in from the horizon, growing bigger all the time, and coming straight for her.
Oh.
Shit.
24
TARIAN
He’d already been on his way back, after launching the magical tracker far away from Kenna, sending it to the bottom of the deepest part of the sea—but then he’d felt something on the connection between them.
Not movement butsomething, and after how his Seris had been treated—Kenna, Kenna, Kenna, he repeated to himself, trying to get his head clear—he was scared.
Him—a creature capable of destroying cities, leveling ships, leaving only terror in his wake—wasscaredof losing one small, fragile human girl.
He arrowed back to the cave where he’d left her, flying in at speed, not caring if she saw him now as long as she was safe, and then landed, half in the ocean, half in sand, sending water and bits of gravel splashing up as he careened to a stop.
And much to his relief, Kenna was there. Standing in the cave’s entrance with her jaw dropped.
“You’re real,” he heard her whisper, and then he needed his own mouth back, to ask her if she was okay.
He snarled at the dog, who knew what he meant, getting his poorly treated pants for him, and Kenna also picked up the clue and turned around.
He was human again in an instant, and half a second after that was clothed. “What happened?” he demanded. “Are you all right?”
She looked back over one shoulder, full of caution. “Yeah. Are...you?”
He heaved a great sigh, partially relaxing. He would not be “all right” until everyone that had designs on her was punished, but seeing her whole was soothing. “Yes.”
“I—I just, ” she said, finally turning, gesturing between his chest and hers.
Hope flared impossibly bright. “You remembered?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head fast. “I just felt connected to you. Somehow.”
“As I am to you,” he agreed with her. “Yes.”
Rocky shuffled up. “What’s the plan?” he asked, and Tarian decided to address the group.
“It’s too cold to fly you now, and my brother’s is too far besides. We’ll wait out the night and start off in the morning, heading straight there.”
“You have a brother? There’s more than one of you?”
“Well, no other dragon is preciselylikeme, of course, but, yes.” He gave her a half smile and pointed past her. “Go back there so no one can see you, and so that you can stay warm. I’ll go get more food in a moment,” he said, putting his hands to his waist.
Kenna didn’t do as she was told.She was so like Seris, it hurt.
“What if I don’t want to go to your brother’s?”
He blinked at her.
“You seem to be forgetting that I had a life, Tarian. One that I am interested in getting back to.”
“Your life, as you knew it, is over.”
